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Fire-Rescue Recruitment

To be a career Firefighter in the State of Florida, an individual must submit an Application for Certification as a Firefighter II, and successfully complete the Firefighter Minimum Standards Course, or have received an equivalent amount of training in another state (or country), and pass the state written and practical examinations, as required by State Statute.

The Firefighter Minimum Standards course consists of a minimum of 398-hours of training. The first 206-hours include NFPA Firefighter I and Florida specific requirements. The following 192-hours include NFPA Firefighter II and Florida specific requirements.

An individual who holds a Florida Firefighter One Certificate of Competency may enter the Firefighter Minimum Standards Course at the start of the Firefighter II training, if permissible by the Certified Training Center.

The Firefighter Minimum Standards Course is offered at numerous Certified Training Centers located throughout the state. Each training center has their own course and fee schedule. For further information, contact the training center of your choice.

EQUIVALENCY FOR OUT OF STATE FIREFIGHTERS WANTING FLORIDA CAREER CERTIFICATION

The Firefighter Minimum Standards Equivalency Examination is offered to individuals who have received training in another state (or country), that is evaluated as equivalent to that required in Florida's Firefighter Minimum Standards Course. To determine an individual's eligibility for the Equivalency Examination, a three part application process is required. Part I is the Preliminary Equivalency Application (DFS-K4-1309). It is submitted to the Challenge Review Board, along with supporting documentation. Such documentation should be a transcript, by subject, of the hours spent in initial training. Upon review and approval of the training documentation by the Challenge Review Board, Part II, the application for the Equivalency Examination and Certification, will be sent to the applicant. Upon approval of a complete application, the applicant will take the written and practical equivalency examination (Part III). The Equivalency Examination is offered four times a year at the Florida State Fire College in Ocala.

If you wish to become an EMT or Paramedic in Florida you must complete an approved EMT or Paramedic program and pass a State exam.

If you are already certified from another State you may be able to challenge the Florida exam. You will need to contact the Florida Bureau of EMS at (850) 245-4440. You may also click on the Bureau's link listed above for more information.

Our application process can be completed online, in addition to completing the application online you will need to submit required supplemental documents. Click here to download the required supplemental documents packet. This packet includes complete information on the application process to include minimum requirements, and disqualifiers. Click here to Apply online.